Georgia tourism monthly e-newsletter, Sept. 2011

September 2011 Issue
In This Issue:
GOVERNOR DEAL PRESENTS GEORGIA TOURISM INDUSTRY AWARDS TWENTY-THREE MORE COUNTIES NAMED CAMERA READY COMMUNITIES STATE'S OFFICIAL TOURISM WEBSITE GOES MOBILE GEORGIA ON MY MIND MERCHANDISE IS NOW AVAILABLE GDEcD SALES TEAM UPDATE GDEcD RESEARCH UPDATE GDEcD VISITOR INFORMATION CENTER UPDATE SOUTHEAST TOURISM SOCIETY TOP 20 EVENTS NOMINATIONS GEORGIA NEWS: MACON HOSTS GOVERNOR'S TOURISM CONFERENCE GEORGIA NEWS: VISIT SAVANNAH WINS GEORGIA HOLIDAY 'SMACKDOWN' CONTEST GEORGIA NEWS: TOURISM THRIVING IN AUGUSTA CELEBRATING RURAL GEORGIA THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL IS COMING TO THEATERS IN GEORGIA THIS FALL AUGUSTA'S PARTRIDGE INN JOINS HOSTMARK'S BOUTIQUE PORTFOLIO 5TH ANNUAL GEORGIA RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION CRYSTAL OF EXCELLENCE (GRACE) AWARDS INDUSTRY NEWS: EXAMINING CURRENT INDUSTRY TRENDS INDUSTRY NEWS: TOURISM AND DESTINATION MARKETING: SMART INVESTMENTS FOR IMMEDIATE RETURNS INDUSTRY NEWS: INDUSTRY LEADERS REVEAL TOP TRAVEL TRENDS FOR 2012 INDUSTRY NEWS: 2011 AIR TICKET SALES BY US TRAVEL AGENTS INCREASED 6.45 PERCENT

INDUSTRY NEWS: SOCIAL MEDIA & TOURISM: 10 TIPS TO ATTRACT TRAVELERS
...................................................................................................................................................................... GOVERNOR DEAL PRESENTS GEORGIA TOURISM INDUSTRY AWARDS
Gov. Nathan Deal today recognized several of the state's top tourism professionals with awards at the 2011 Governor's Conference on Tourism. The joint tourism industry conference was hosted by the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), Georgia Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus (GACVB) and the Tourism Development Alliance of Georgia (TDAG) in Macon Sept. 12-14. More than 450 tourism industry professionals from Georgia's convention and visitor bureaus, attractions, hotels and more attended the annual conference. For the complete press release, click here.
The Tom Kilgore Life Time Achievement Award L-R: Governor Deal, Jeannie Buttrum, Commissioner Chris Cummiskey
...................................................................................................................................................................... TWENTY-THREE MORE COUNTIES NAMED CAMERA READY COMMUNITIES
Governor Nathan Deal and the Georgia Film, Music & Digital Entertainment Office, a division of the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), designated 23 Georgia counties Camera Ready at the annual Governor's Tourism Conference yesterday. The state's Camera Ready Community Program was started in October 2010 to support the growing film and television industry. The program now includes 112 counties across the state. For the complete press release, click here. Click here for more information.
...................................................................................................................................................................... STATE'S OFFICIAL TOURISM WEBSITE GOES MOBILE
Georgia Tourism, a division of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, relaunched a new and improved ExploreGeorgia.org mobile website on August 15. The new mobile site is interactive, engaging and provides real-time trip planning information. The content is pulled directly from the state's official tourism website. The newly relaunched travel platform assists travelers in finding destinations, places to stay, events, special offers, local services, maps and navigation tools from their mobile device. Additional features of the site include a brand new look, access to the state's social media assets, trip planning tools, images, streaming video and an enhanced database to help users quickly plan their trip. Georgia's tourism entities also have exclusive access to purchase targeted banner ads for their destination via the mobile platform. For the complete press release, click here.

...................................................................................................................................................................... GEORGIA ON MY MIND MERCHANDISE IS NOW AVAILABLE
Georgia On My Mind (GOMM) merchandise is now available to both tourism partners and consumers for the first time via our new online store on ExploreGeorgia.org. Go to ExploreGeorgia.org and click on 'Shop for Georgia Items!' on the right rail of the homepage to check out our wearable merchandise including beach towels, bags, blankets and more. All merchandise is available with an embroidered GOMM logo (black, white, full color and tone-on-tone). There are no minimum quantities when ordering, and a discount is available when ordering quantities of 24 or more items. Another option is for Georgia tourism-entities to order co-branded merchandise with their logo featured as well. Click on the "Contact Us" link for more information, or to submit a special request order. Click here to check out the available products.
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GDEcD SALES TEAM UPDATE
The GDEcD Sales Team including our international representatives Peter Hannaford and Wolfgang Streitboerger visited participated in a FAM tour following the Governor's Conference on Tourism. The group visited Columbus, Plains, Albany, Thomasville, Folkston, Kingsland and St. Marys. Thank you to our Regional Tourism Reps (Maggie, Jeff, Carey and Fay) for helping to arrange the tour.
Pam Kruseck and Jonathan Boisjolie attended the Student & Youth Travel Association (SYTA) Conference August 19 - 24, 2011 in New York, NY. GDEcD had 28 meetings in addition to extra time with operators at the Roundtable event. Appointment notes were distributed to the Regional Tourism Reps on Monday, September 12.
Nija Torrence attended the Georgia Motorcoach Operators Association (GMOA)/Motorcoach Association of South Carolina (MCASA) Joint Annual Meeting August 21 - 24, 2011 in Savannah, GA. She met with 37 tour operators and group leaders. Appointment notes were distributed to the Regional Tourism Reps on Monday, September 19.
GDEcD will once again be participating as sponsors for the National Tour Association (NTA) Annual Convention (December 5 - 9, 2011) and the American Bus Association (ABA) Annual Marketplace (January 6 - 10, 2012). As part of our sponsorships we will have a booth on the marketplace floor which will allow maximum exposure to all attendees and provide us a better opportunity to sell Georgia. We are changing our level of participation this year for ABA and will be the show bag sponsor - as such we will offer co-sponsorship to our partners. Pam Kruseck and Nija Torrence will be attending. Co-sponsorship information for both NTA and ABA was sent out to the Regional Tourism Reps on August 16, 2011 - for additional co-sponsorship information, please contact Pam Kruseck via email at pkruseck@georgia. org.
Georgia National Fair - Perry, GA - October 6 - 16, 2011: The annual, state-sponsored Georgia National Fair is Georgia's celebration of its youth, agriculture, and heritage. The Fair has been designated as a 'Top 50 Fair in North America' by Amusement Business magazine. Fairgoers will be treated to one of the state's best family-oriented, entertainment values showcasing education and fun. Co-op information went out to the Regional Tourism Reps on September 2, 2011. For additional co-op information, please contact Dot Davis via email at ddavis@georgia.org.
GDEcD will be participating in the Rejuvenate Marketplace November 7 - 9, 2011 in San Jose, CA. Rejuvenate Marketplace is an educational conference designed specifically for meeting planners who organize meetings and conferences for faith-based organizations. The three-day event includes a reverse trade show with one-on-one appointments between planners and suppliers; an all-day planner boot camp for both novices and professional planners; several general sessions and two days of sessions covering basic planning topics, business skills and strategy, technology tools and social media, and program innovations. Pam Kruseck will be attending. Co-op information for Rejuvenate will be available soon.

Pam Kruseck will be attending AAA Carolinas Superbowl of Knowledge November 18 - 19, 2011 in Greensboro, NC. 'Superbowl of Knowledge' is an annual gathering of AAA Carolinas Travel Counselors and staff to learn about new offers and tourism products for their members. AAA Carolinas is expecting 300 employees including Travel Counselors and Drive Vacation Specialists. A lunchtime tradeshow allows Travel Counselors an opportunity to meet with us and gather information. Please contact Pam Kruseck via email at pkruseck@georgia.org for additional information.
The Georgia Tourism participated in the AARP Life@50+ Expo September 22 - 24, 2011 in Los Angeles, CA. AARP is expecting more than 25,000 members and others from all over the United States and abroad to attend the event. The AARP Life@50+ event is a great opportunity to collaborate with AARP and to reach the 50+ audience. It is an opportunity to increase Georgia's visibility among baby boomers; a demographic comprising 26 percent of the U.S. population and a driving force in the market place. For additional co-op information, please contact Pam Kruseck via email at pkruseck@georgia.org.
...................................................................................................................................................................... GDEcD RESEARCH UPDATE
Georgia Hotel Trending Data
August 2011: Hotel/motel occupancy increased 2.4 percent statewide from August 2010 Room rates (ADR) in Georgia were up 1.5 percent Statewide, RevPAR was 4 percent Georgia room revenues increased 3.4 percent Room Demand increased 1.9 percent across the state Room Supply was down -0.5 percent
Year-to-date (YTD): Hotel/motel occupancy is up 4.7 percent statewide through August 2011 YTD room rates (ADR) in Georgia are up 0.7 percent Statewide, RevPAR is up 5.4 percent Georgia room revenues are up 5.4 percent Room Demand is up 4.7 percent across the state Room Supply is flat in Georgia
Economic Impact Update: The most current 2010 county-by-county data from the U.S. Travel Association is now available on www.marketgeorgia.org. Please note the information available on www.marketgeorgia.org has been updated since a hard copy of the excel sheet was distributed at the Governor's Tourism Conference in Macon. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released new data after our initial county level data was calculated, this updated information reflected changes in several areas that are used to derive the county level expenditures, including but limited to employment and payroll. The state-wide figures all remain the same with an increase of 7.9 percent in tourism expenditures (over 2009). There has been a redistribution of the expenditures and impacts, so some counties may notice an increase in the earlier reported data, while other areas may notice a decrease in these initial figures.
The U.S. Travel Association uses a proprietary module to determine local area travel impact estimates, figures are derived by distributing the state estimates to the area using proper proportions of each related category in the area. The proportions of a local area are calculated based on a set of data collected from federal, state and local governments and private organizations. Again, we extend our apologies if you have already started using the numbers you received at the Governor's Tourism Conference.

Destinations Travel Insights: U.S. Travel Association and American Express Business Insights are teaming up to bring you Destination Travel Insights - timely, real transaction data to support destination marketing investments exclusively to U.S. Travel members. Click here for more information.
...................................................................................................................................................................... GDEcD VISITOR INFORMATION CENTER UPDATE
In August, Georgia's Visitors Information Centers (VIC) had 920,117 visitors. They also hosted 222 partner promotions. In addition, they made 1,344 room reservations generating $95,321 in revenue. Partners are encouraged to get out to one of the 11 VICs to host a promotion anytime throughout the year. For more information on this and other ways you can get involved with the VIC program, contact Tiffany Marlin via email at tmarlin@georgia.org.
...................................................................................................................................................................... SOUTHEAST TOURISM SOCIETY TOP 20 EVENTS NOMINATIONS
The best events across the Southeast compete to receive the prestigious Top 20 Events designation. Through a nomination process, Southeast Tourism Society chooses the Top 20 events in the Southeast for each month of the year and publishes this list of winners quarterly. The Top 20 Events publication is sent to over 1,600 newspapers, magazines, radio stations, TV stations, AAA publications and others. Please note the next cut off for the 2nd Q 2012 (April, May, June) is October 7, 2011. Click here to nominate your event.
...................................................................................................................................................................... GEORGIA NEWS: MACON HOSTS GOVERNOR'S TOURISM CONFERENCE
The Georgia Governor's Tourism Conference, in town through Wednesday at the Wilson Convention Center, kicked off Monday morning with the release of the 2012 Macon visitors guide, featuring a Native American ceremonial dancer on the cover. The annual conference brings together more than 400 tourism professionals from across the state, said Kevin Langston, tourism division deputy commissioner for the Georgia Department of Economic Development. "Tourism is big business in Georgia," he said. "Visitors spent $21 billion in Georgia in 2010, up 8.3 percent from 2009." For the entire Macon Telegraph article, click here.

...................................................................................................................................................................... GEORGIA NEWS: VISIT SAVANNAH WINS GEORGIA HOLIDAY 'SMACKDOWN' CONTEST
When it comes to smackdowns, don't mess with Visit Savannah. The Savannah tourism group bested all others in a statewide competition by the Georgia Department of Economic Development called the Georgia Holiday Smackdown. The object: Design an innovative and creative tourism marketing campaign for the upcoming holiday season. For the entire Savannah Morning News article, click here.
Governor Deal and GDEcD Commissioner Chris Cummiskey with Visit Savannah's Joe Marinelli and Erica Backus.
...................................................................................................................................................................... GEORGIA NEWS: TOURISM THRIVING IN AUGUSTA
While many sectors struggled throughout the economic downturn, Augusta's tourism industry was booming. Last year, visitors to Augusta spent more than $407 million, up 8.1 percent from visitor spending in 2009, according to data released by the Georgia Department of Economic Development. Equaling nearly $12.3 million in local tax collections, visitor expenditures include spending on transportation, food and beverage, lodging, retail trade and entertainment. Augusta's tourism industry has grown over the last 10 years, with Richmond County now ranking third in the state behind metro Atlanta and Savannah, said Barry White, the president and CEO of the Augusta Convention & Visitors Bureau. For the entire Augusta Chronicle article, click here.
.................................................................................................................. CELEBRATING RURAL GEORGIA
Join Governor Nathan Deal and many of your colleagues and friends from across the state in Tifton, Ga on Wednesday, October 12for a day of Celebrating Rural Georgia. They will celebrate past successes, fast forward to a discussion of future opportunities and end with a facilitated discussion on the future of rural Georgia! This special event will be held at the University of Georgia Tifton Campus Conference Center with a networking opportunity from 9 AM until 10 AM followed by an official conference kick-off and welcome led by DCA Commissioner Mike Beatty. Click here to register.

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THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL IS COMING TO THEATERS IN GEORGIA THIS FALL
This fall, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) will be touring the east coast to showcase the National Geographic film - America's Wild Spaces: the Appalachian Trail (A.T). This limited engagement is part of the ATC's 2011 membership drive and is expected to draw in over 1,400 viewers. The ATC will be arriving in Atlanta, Georgia on November 3, 2011 at the Midtown Arts Cinema to present this breath taking film. The film highlights the beauty and splendor of the Appalachian Trail. National Geographic takes viewers off their seats to discover the remote and often unknown corners of this 5-millionstep journey. To reserve your seat or for more information, visit www.appalachiantrail.org/discover.
................................................................................................................ AUGUSTA'S PARTRIDGE INN JOINS HOSTMARK'S BOUTIQUE PORTFOLIO
Hostmark Hospitality Group has been retained as manager by the new ownership group of The Partridge Inn, the landmark hotel located in downtown Augusta, GA. Maintaining the high standards of hospitality consistent with its moniker 'The Grand Hotel of the Classic South' and the city's famed Master's Golf Tournament, the venerable property will continue to be a vital component of the area's renowned Southern hospitality. For the full press release, visit www.hostmark.com.
................................................................................................................ 5TH ANNUAL GEORGIA RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION CRYSTAL OF EXCELLENCE (GRACE) AWARDS
The Georgia Restaurant Association Crystal of Excellence (GRACE) Awards recognizes and pays tribute to the leaders who have made outstanding contributions to Georgia's restaurant industry. On Sunday, November 13 at the Loews Hotel Atlanta they will honor the finalists and winners - including Ted Turner, winner of the 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award. The GRACE Awards Gala features a commitment to being Local, Sustainable & Green by using environmentally sensitive printing, green event planning, sustainable decor, and locally sourced food & beverage. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.
................................................................................................................ INDUSTRY NEWS: EXAMINING CURRENT INDUSTRY TRENDS
Click here for the September 2011 U.S. Travel Association's 'U.S. Travel Outlook Research and Trends' from Dr. Suzanne Cook. Highlights from this issue include Optimism Remains for Travel, Despite Bad Economic News; Worried Consumers; Constrained Spending; Destination Travel Insights; Revival in Air Travel Slowing; The Hotel Sector Continues Recovery; Business Travel Recovery Still Underway; Leisure Travel Picking Up?; Summer Cut Short Affected Labor Day Travel?; The Economic Benefits of Travel Promotion; International Travel Continues to Build; A Decade of Change; Seismic Demographic Shifts in Population Also Apparent and Technology Tidbits.

................................................................................................................ INDUSTRY NEWS: TOURISM AND DESTINATION MARKETING: SMART INVESTMENTS FOR IMMEDIATE RETURNS
As municipalities across the country struggle with lagging revenues, budget deficits and ongoing demands to provide vital services for citizens, destination marketing and tourism investment may be perceived as frivolous. Nothing could be further from the truth. As its community's primary tourism marketing body, a destination marketing organization (DMO), occasionally called a convention and visitor bureau, masterminds the marketing of its locale as a whole to business and leisure travelers. Through its focus on tourism marketing sales and servicing, and the resulting dollars brought in by those efforts, a DMO in turn plays a significant role in the long-term economic development of its destination. For the entire The Business Monthly article, click here.
................................................................................................................ INDUSTRY NEWS: INDUSTRY LEADERS REVEAL TOP TRAVEL TRENDS FOR 2012
In a year characterized by game-changing start-ups, disruptive trends, mergers & acquisitions and leaps in both travel technology and consumer behavior, keeping abreast of current affairs in the online travel industry is becoming ever more arduous. In addition, our fixation with the instant and virtual means that it is becoming increasingly rare for us to 'look-up' and to the horizon for the next threat or opportunity that lies ahead for the online travel industry. Which emerging trends will fizzle, and which will pop? What is the most significant opportunity (or critical threat) that our industry faces? Which disruptive forces will re-shape the online travel landscape as we know it in the next years? For the entire Hotel News Resource article, click here.
................................................................................................................ INDUSTRY NEWS: 2011 AIR TICKET SALES BY US TRAVEL AGENTS INCREASED 6.45 PERCENT
ARC, the financial settlement link between airlines and travel sellers, reported today that the consolidated dollar value of airline tickets sold by U.S.-based travel agencies increased 6.45 percent* year-over-year in the first eight months of 2011 compared to the same period in 2010, and 29 percent over the same period in 2009. January through August 2011 ticket sales totalled $57.2 billion, compared to $53.8 billion in 2010, and $44.5 billion in 2009. Year-to-date passenger segments for the first eight months of 2011 fell 2.5 percent - at 253.1 million segments, compared to 259.5 million in 2010 - while reflecting a 4 percent increase over the same period in 2009. Ticket transactions for January through August 2011 were down slightly, at -2.04 percent compared to the same period in 2010, while up 6 percent over the same period in 2009. For the entire Breaking Travel News article, click here.
................................................................................................................ INDUSTRY NEWS: SOCIAL MEDIA & TOURISM: 10 TIPS TO ATTRACT TRAVELERS
Click here to read the 10 tips to attract travelers.

............................................................................................................... INDUSTRY NEWS: GOOGLE TRAVEL SITE DOESN'T STRIKE FEAR INTO COMPETITORS
News flash: Google doesn't have all the answers. At least that was the response from travel search-engine sites as they caught their first glimpse of a competing product launched by Google last week. It's never a good sign for your business when one of the world's largest companies buys your chief supplier and seeks to muscle in on your turf. So it's understandable why many travel engines - including Travelocity, Expedia and Kayak - suffered angst when Google proposed last year to buy ITA Software, the company that developed and provides their fare-search technology. After the acquisition was approved in April, they were resigned to waiting to see what competitive threat Google Travel would unleash. But when the tech giant finally released its airfare search tool last week, the competitors were left underwhelmed and perplexed. For the entire USA Today article, click here.
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